Ahmadis yet again become a target of persecution

In yet another incident of minorities’ prosecution, five members of the Ahmadi community were dragged on Tuesday from an anti-terrorist court to a police station and detained for several hours by an anti-Ahmadi group.

The police eventually determined that they had not broken any blasphemy or terrorism laws, as alleged, and released them without registering an FIR.

The Ahmadis were attending a hearing at the anti-terrorism court earlier in the day concerning relatives who have also been accused of blasphemy and terrorism offences by printing an Ahmadi newspaper, under Sections 295B and 298C of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 11-W of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Shortly after the court granted bail to two of the accused, Tahir and Zarif, some 15 men approached the five Ahmadis and, with the help of the police, snatched their mobile phones and took them away to Mustafabad police station, an Ahmadi who had spoken to the detainees later told reporters.

“They appeared to be very angry that two people had been granted bail,” he said. “They claimed that one of them had been wearing a ring inscribed with a Quranic verse, and that this was a crime. Apparently they intend to scare people from supporting or representing Ahmadis at trial.”

He said that the SHO had contacted an SP, who had investigated the complaint and then determined it to be baseless. – See more at: http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013/05/08/news/national/ahmadis-yet-again-become-a-target-of-persecution/#sthash.KDdjLFJG.dpuf